I have found the Magellan Maestro 3210 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator to be a small device that has BIG utility, especially because I purchased a small leather carrying case which allows me take it places, even if I am not driving.

I give it five stars.

I purchased this Magellan Maestro 3210 GPS as my first GPS. I did not want one with all the bells and whistles (just more to go wrong on them anyway). My GPS has performed very well so far and is easy to set up, understand and use. I have only had good results from this GPS and the price paid was very affordable. ($117.00)

When my Garmin StreetPilot's hard drive failed, I panicked. I had become used to having a GPS device in my car. Since I had recently purchased a Garmin nüvi 650 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator for our other car, I couldn't justify getting one of the more full featured models. Because the Magellan Maestro's price was right and because it had the basic features I needed, I bought it.

The Maestro picks up satellites much faster than the Garmin Nuvi does, even if you unplug it and transport it across the country. There's never any waiting to acquire satellites. This is especially important when you're driving in an unfamiliar area or need a quick recalculation. It has a largely useless but cool feature of showing how many satellites are tracking you and the strength of the signal. However, the map navigation software, the heart and soul of a GPS unit, is quirkier than the Garmin's, with an occasional outrageous route plotted. For example, it plotted a 90 minute route for a trip that I can make in 65 minutes, even though I had selected the fastest route on the touch screen; every time I disregarded the GPS directions, it would subtract another few minutes - odd, since it supposedly chose the fastest route to begin with. Most of the time, however, it selects the logical route, allowing users to program it for the fastest, shortest, most- and least-use of highways. Although I did have one problem with the GPS not getting me to my point-of-interest, I haven't had an issue since. The lack of trust that one miss creates is phenomenal. You shouldn't have to question your GPS. Still, it always gets me home. (Both brands may get the side of the street incorrect; for example, both list my address as being on the opposite side of the street.)

The Magellan uses different chimes to indicate the exact moment to turn, and it gives enough warning of approaching actions. The points of interest are adequate for most uses, although typing in, say, a school (for those traveling to see high school sports!) works better than trying to figure out which category it might belong to. I really like the feature that shows small gas station and restaurant icons on the map. The keyboard for entering addresses is easy to view and use. Recalculation is quick, and it doesn't hang or keep recalculating absurd ways to get back to the original route as our Nuvi can since it recognizes much faster when I want to pick an alternate route. The 3-D view is accurate and visible, even with the smaller 3.5 inch screen. The battery life lasts about 90 minutes, not enough to make it practical to double as a hand-held or to use without the car charger.

The unit comes with an auto charger, a cable to connect to your PC (Windows only, not Mac), and a suction disc/long-neck cradle to attach, more or less permanently, to your dashboard. Its size makes it easy to tuck out of sight.

All in all, this is a good choice for a budget GPS unit since all brands have their issues, especially at this price range. Those who depend heavily on GPS directions may want to invest in a better model, but infrequent users and those on a tight budget may find that the Magellan Maestro is their best bet. This unit would get two or three stars compared to the pricier Garmin units, but, in its price range, it is a sure four star product.

I was super excited to use this GPS after getting my parents a Magellan Maestro 3140 with great results months before. To it's credit, the unit was packed with more than 6 million Points of Interest, a ton of AAA hotel information, and camp site locations and info for the US and Canada! Amazing! I truly will miss access to that, but even that couldn't make me put up with this units major faults.

With trust built from my experience getting around San Francisco with the earlier Magellan model, I set out on a trip to Carson in Los Angeles. Not only did the Magellan Maestro 3210 lead me off the freeway extremely early, it claimed I had arrived 15 minutes away from my destination in Carson! After that, we left it on for comedy sake only and used a map to navigate to various places in LA.

I tested it closer to my hometown and it told me to turn in the opposite direction from my destination once I got off the freeway. I could have driven for hours in the wrong direction had I not wrote directions prior to leaving.

Beyond the fact that this unit led me astray many times, (which could be because that specific unit was defective), I found typing in addresses difficult. Depending on what zip follows the city and state you enter, you may not be able to enter the correct street number, regardless of everything else being correct. Quite annoying when you just want to program it and hit the road.

I would not recommend this model. My experience makes me want to try another brand altogether--though I may be tempted back to Magellan by all the camping and hotel info listed in it.

I have a Magellan Maestrol 3210 for our use and am so happy with it that I have purchased a second one as a gift. Great product !!

I bought this for my In-laws and they love it. It is very simple and very easy to use, even for the technology challenged. I love the POI for upcoming exits and the ease of use.

Now, with my Magellan Maestro 3210, I am able to go anywhere and never feel like I am lost again. This opens many doors for me. I wish I had one many, many years ago.

Very accurate, gives you plenty of warning about turns, lists street name on bottom of screen. It can list estimated arrival time also.

Now that I don't get lost, maybe people will stop telling me where to go! (lol)

We purchased a Garmin for our parents, who live in Texas. The unit worked great. However, my husband didn't like the size of it - it was like a small CRT monitor. So, we chose this Magellan because it was a flat panel model, came with a windshield mount, and the price was under $200 at the time of purchase. We've had it about 2 months now. Overall, it has been worth the purchase.

Though I think the maps on the Garmin were better looking, these are fine for seeing where to go. Once programmed with the destination, the unit provides an estimated time of arrival, which does update. So, if you get stuck in traffic it affects the arrival time. Magellan also tracks your average driving speed. Both units offer spoken directions. This is both good and bad. It's good because the unit tells you to keep right or left when exiting off a ramp or highway that splits into two directions. It tells you when you're approaching your turn and when you've reached your destination. However, it is extremely annoying when traveling on a highway with local and express lanes. I-270 in Maryland does this and the unit is constantly telling us to keep right, or left (with no rhyme or reason) in and out of the local lanes! It's also annoying while driving on long highways like 95 as it keeps reminding you to remain on the current road and not get off. We mute it while on these roads. However, if you have no clue at all where you are going, this is a helpful feature. I found the advance notice justa bout right. The unit tells you your turn is coming up in about half a mile (sometimes greater notice if you're ona highway) and then chimes when you've come upon the turn. The unit also displays what road you are on, and what the next road is supposed to be. Another plus is if the Magellan loses satellite signal (such as in a tunnel), it displays a list of all your upcoming turns/roads per the route it calculated. While this isn't as good as the turn by turn directions, it was a nice back-up. The Magellan offers four choices of "chimes" to notify you of your next action (turn, exit, keep right, etc.). They range in volume and annoyance depending on what you prefer.

The points of interest is a nice feature. We tested it locally by searching for a restaurant. It displayed all the local choices, from closest to farthest, fast food to sit down. We chose McDonalds and it got us there exactly as we would normally go - the quickest route. It allows you to search by coffee, restaurant, gas station, etc. Though this feature wasn't a priority for us, it is nice to have. I once drove through Arkansas, and would have loved to have had this then. We never did find a place to eat, and ending up waiting until we passed into Tennessee!

Other reviewers have noted that the unit often chooses longer routes. My husband found a setting to "avoid highways" or "quickest route" much like MapQuest. This has worked okay for us. Also, if you have a general idea of which way you wish to go, the unit will recalculate for where you are. We recently drove to Fort Meade, and the Magellan wanted us to take 28 instead of 95. We stayed until we passed 28 and it recalculated for 95. If you miss a turn it does the same, or instructs you to make "a legal U-turn." The menu is more complicated than the Garmin. Some features are buried that really should be easier to access. However, a bit of patience playing with the unit before taking any trips helps resolve this. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with customer service (or lack there of), but I honestly think most companies would have the same problem. I've never read a review from a GPS buyer, and I read through a lot before buying this model, who had a good experience with customer service after discovering problems. So, buying a GPS is bit of a gamble. I recommend this unit since the price is reasonable, and the flat panel is nice. However, my parents love their Garmin so it really does come down to price and esthetics.

Love my Magellan, it's an adult toy, however there are some quirks. Often, it gives directions that are not as I thought they should be but not a big problem.